October 15, 2011

Joseph Stalin is reputed to have suggested that it did not matter who cast the votes. What matters is who counts the votes. I don’t have a taste for comparing Gov. Scott Walker with the Soviet strongman. But when it comes to managing elections, Walker is giving his harshest critics ample encouragement to make the comparison.

So... it's not that Nichols is the type who'd say somebody is like Stalin, it's that Scott Walker is just so terribly much like Stalin that he's forced to overcome his reticence and observe that some other people are probably going to be forced to compare him to Stalin.

John Nichols really has no good redeeming values and is a waste of space and inhales way too much air.Nichols may have been a good writer 30-40 years ago, but now he is just a bitter old man whose policies he endorses are proving to be as useless as he is.

Having not read the comment in context, I won't argue whether Nichols is comparing Walker with Stalin or not--although such a comparison is self-evidently ludicrous. However, to suggest that a politician acting according to Stalin's truism is equivalent to making a comparison of that politician to Stalin is to misunderstand the nature of politics and power. Nichols falls into the trap himself in his haste to offer an a priori denial that making a comparison of Walker to Stalin is what he intends, and by so doing, he invites others to accuse him of this very thing.

Stalin's statement is a truism: it doesn't matter who votes for whom if the vote counts can be manipulated by interested other parties. Not only is this not an uncommon truth, it is not an uncommon occurrence in the real world, and not just in other nations or in other times, but in our nation and in our times.

Nichols said one could compare Walker's voting practices to Stalin's. Not direct comparison.

Actually, that's incorrect; one can directly compare the Obama Party of Wisconsin's practices, such as bomb threats, violence, and attacks on legislators, as being identical to Stalin's. The Obama Party of Wisconsin itself has, through its director of communications, called for violent attacks and voter intimidation of Republicans. Obama Party Assemblyman Fred Clark stated that he wanted to "smack around" anyone who dared disagree with him.

Why should these people have any power? Obama Party members are proven to be addicted to violence and lies. Obama Party members support and endorse voter fraud and fight any measures to catch and punish those who vote fraudulently.

Furthermore, Obama Party members are lazy, just like the fleebaggers who ran away from Madison and collected government checks to do nothing.

Robert Cook said...Having not read the comment in context, I won't argue whether Nichols is comparing Walker with Stalin or not--although such a comparison is self-evidently ludicrous. However, to suggest that a politician acting according to Stalin's truism is equivalent to making a comparison of that politician to Stalin is to misunderstand the nature of politics and power. Nichols falls into the trap himself in his haste to offer an a priori denial that making a comparison of Walker to Stalin is what he intends, and by so doing, he invites others to accuse him of this very thing.

Stalin's statement is a truism: it doesn't matter who votes for whom if the vote counts can be manipulated by interested other parties. Not only is this not an uncommon truth, it is not an uncommon occurrence in the real world, and not just in other nations or in other times, but in our nation and in our times.

10/15/11 12:36 PM

An astute observation. Next you will connect the dots and realize that Stalin among his many attributes was a Chicago Machine apparatchiki. Just like Obama & Co. All of the hanging chad, spoilt ballots,dimpled ballots, voter intended ballots, dead people's ballots and by whatever means necessary ballots will be counted until the correct results are established. Its the Vanguard of the proletariat looking out for The People. So noble and pure hearted they are. All of this effort for our own good in spite of ourselves. Bless them.

Yes, Pasta-idjut--and (and others--fems, titus puto). Byro doesn't only follow me--he stalks many sites--was on DU and d-Kos for a time until they booted him (and Digby). Actually Cook might not be--at times it's a bit too articulate for Byro the sockpup. scum (tho maybe if it has its thesaurus open and works for hour on a comment).

"Yeah, and if it's a truism, why not cite a statement of it coming from someone with fewer of Stalin's other, umm, qualities?"

Do you deny, Sourpuss, that this is a truism?

Most politicians won't be so bluntly frank as Stalin, as they are invested in preserving the pleasant notion that in voting societies, when the people speak with their votes, their will is made manifest. Which is sometimes true.

Stalin? I don't think he so much cared about such niceties. (Although, even in Stalin's Russia elections were held, illustrating that even such absolute rulers as Stalin saw the utility of presenting to the world at least the show that they, too, enjoyed free elections.)

Anyone have a link to a news story instead of an opinion piece? I'm curious about the rest of the story.

Obviously (to anyone with a brain) Walker isn't going to rig a recall election vote. Just as obviously (to anyone with a brain) whether the legislature or the executive has authority over the GAB doesn't change the makeup of the GAB or it's staff.

From the GAB web site:

The G.A.B. is made up of six former judges, nominated by a panel of four Wisconsin Appeals Court judges, appointed by the Governor and confirmed by the Senate. The six board members serve staggered six-year terms; one member's term expires each year. Both the Board and its staff must be non-partisan.

So what is the actual point?

p.s. I can only wish Rhode Island had this much passion directed at it's disfunctional government.

Governor Walker has really pissed off and driven to dementia the communists, union thugs and parasites and all of the usual leftist scum in WI. Elect that man President of the United States! America needs him now!

Robert Cook: how many votes will the democrat Stalinist count until Obama and the enough democrat-communists are reelected or elected to Congress in 2012 to insure a democrat-communist majority?

Robert Cook said... Having not read the comment in context, I won't argue whether Nichols is comparing Walker with Stalin or not--although such a comparison is self-evidently ludicrous. I knew Josef Stalin. Josef Stalin was a friend of mine. You, sir, are no Josef Stalin.

Conservatives have been calling Obama a Communist for... like... well... as long as I can remember.

And you don't call them out on that.

But a Leftist makes one hesitant non-comparison between Walker and Stalin and you pounce on him?

That, dear Professor, is bullshit.

It has long been established that hyperbolic comparisons to Soviets or Nazis are fair game. All sides of the political spectrum use them, except of course true anarcho-libertarians, who are the only ones too smart to walk in the muck.

Here's former Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, for instance, stating that Obama is a Communist, then a supporter of infanticide, and then not really the President of the United States. Then Keyes prognosticates "chaos, confusion, and civil war", states that Obama is an "uspurer", tells us that Obama is invalidating mortgages and wants everyone to stop paying their mortgages, and on and on until his eyes pop out.

Conservatives have been calling Obama a Communist for... like... well... as long as I can remember.

It may be hard for you to discern, but there's a difference between Stalin and communism. Stalin was a tyrant who massacred millions of people. Communism is a system of government that doesn't necessarily involve any violence. Comprende?

It may be hard for you to discern, but there's a difference between Stalin and communism. Stalin was a tyrant who massacred millions of people. Communism is a system of government that doesn't necessarily involve any violence. Comprende?

Oh sure, that's the way it is in the Ivory Tower where you spend your time. But down here in the real world, Stalin and his cohorts redefined Communism from the utopian vision of Marx & Co to the violent totalitarian nightmare that it became.

And when Conservatives call Obama a communist, there's no doubt that they are referring to the violent-totalitarian-nightmare type.

Pastafarian, J thinks I'm a right wing sock puppet! Hahaha, whoa seriously what is with this guy? I read his blog and he actually sounds rational, when he comes here he sounds positively unhinged. Made me think the Germans in WW2 Germany, pointing fingers and scramming Jude Jude!

I don't have a taste for comparing John Nichols to Joseph Goebbels, but Nichols gives plenty of cause for doing so by those who are less capable than I of near-superhuman levels of restraint.

Searching desperately for the context in which to put these comments by the Heir Apparent to I.F. Stone, I slogged through the barely literate article in question. All I found was the suppressed postulate that the GAB is overseen and staffed by angels, so that any failure to defer to it constitutes prima facie evidence of evil intent.

Also, RCook, the subtext you're missing w.r.t. the Stalin quote is that he is both endorsing the practice of fraudulent vote-counting and boasting of being a fervent practitioner.

AFAIK, Walker has done neither. Maybe John Nichols has better info than I do.

Little Johnnie Nichols is a bit of a piss ant isn't he? Always, playing the game, carrying the water, poiting the finger of ridicule and first to leap to calls of "racist", "greedy capitalist" and the worst of the worst accusations..."right to work and concealed carry proponent".

The music plays and little Johnnie Nichols dances to the masters fiddle. He's a puppet and a whinny puppet at that. Me thinks "chunks of bullshit" gives him too much credit.

No Mito-moron ..I said Nichols' comments were ticky tack--no big deal..Now, vote tampering on the part of Walker is a big deal.. And have made no anti-semitic comments. Thats yr business but you lie about it.

Chip S--you really are a moron aren't you, nearly as confused on this as c-bob...Schoolteachers aren't commies, Atards. The trade unionists in fact opposed the PE unions for decades. JFK signed in Fed PE rights (some say that applies to states as well).

Wow - if you truly believe that communism and violence to keep those pesky people for wanting more than adequate and gray... Damn the sky in your world must be pretty. Cuz the commies ain't been anything but violent mass-murderers whereever it has been tried. You may want to have a conversation with someone that escaped one of those communist's paradise and get their take on, you know, reality.

I reiterate my earlier comment about the sad state of the history curricula in our schools.

neomom - Do you have any idea what the fuck you're talking about. You have no idea what I believe or what I'm saying. You're off in a world of your own. I'd try further explanation but you're obviously incapable of sorting out what I'm saying and the voices in your head. Go debate this issue with your commode.

If there is a problem with Walker, it would be corruption in the exception and not fundamentally corrupt.

It's interesting to note that the greatest loss of life, including artificial and premature termination of developing human life, occurred in the 20th century; and that it was the communists, socialists, and fascists who were principally response for its execution. It must be characteristic of individuals who suffer from delusions of grandeur and maintain dreams of instant gratification.

No one cares about Flynn thug's two bit fart jokes except a bag of shit like you and his few regs(mostly yr queer s-pups,anyway)

C-bob--yr the shit of the earth, like yr queer hero Walker, swine--lower than communists. Savvy tht puerco, hijo de puta

10/15/11 5:00 PM

Lower than a communist is still a mountain top compared to you. Even C4 whose jelly baby you are has disowned you. now run along and get back to the asylum as its past bed check time. Otherwise just die already and make the world a better place.